2awg, 4awg or 6awg on an old converted 36 to 48?

[97ccds-custom]

I need some advice on battery cables.

Backstory - I have a 1997 Club Car DS resistor coil with vglide cart. I purchased it a couple years ago and I've been slowly upgrading it from the disrepair it was in.

- It has lift with 22" tall tires and backseat
- I believe it originally was a 36V but I have six 8Vs in there now
- 36V motor that was refurbished by Plum Qwick motor for more HP and torque from stock

When I got it the electrical was a mess and I've cleaned most of that up with a 48-12v converter and a fuse box for all the accessories.

I have long term plans to upgrade to a solid state with @scottyb CartsUnlimited Alltrax conversion kit. But my batteries are 6 year old Trojan T105s and I'm not getting as strong of a charge. So I want to pull the trigger on 6 Trojan T-875s, but I'm confused about what battery cable gauge to use.

I think I have 4awg in there now, but it's possible it is 6awg. The cables are old and I was planning to make my own custom length 2awg cables, in part to save some budget but also as a side project where I can make them the exact size I want. I've already replaced some corroded ring terminals, so I think I can do the cables to the right length. But when I called my local Trojan battery dealer the salesperson I spoke to told me I should stick to what is in there now so I don't burn anything up.

So if I put 2awg cables in my setup will I risk overheating the motor, solenoid, vglide, F&R switch or resistor coils? Or is it just a precaution that the sales person is telling me? Since I don't have a controller, there is no risk of that expensive item blowing on me.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[fsu1tm]

With 22" tires, you'd be best to go to 2awg cables. Then when you get a Scotty kit, get the 500A Alltrax, SW202 F/R contactor, and 400A solenoid. You won't regret it. Actually I'm kinda surprised that you can run 48V through that vglide and resistor coil setup. I would think your F/W contactor and small solenoid would burn up.

As for will upgrading to 2awg overheat the motor. No. But as I said I can believe that the F/R, solenoid, vglide, and coils haven't gone already with 48V being pumped through them and your oversize tires.

Lastly, when you decide to make the swap to solid state, keep that 36V motor. You'll be pleasantly surprised with the pep your mods will provide to it.

[97ccds-custom]

Thank you so much for the quick reply!

I think the solenoid is newer, I'll have to check for a part number when I pull out the batteries.

I wasn't sure if I should upgrade the motor or not, I feel much better in keeping the old one.

[Nutshell]

Go with 2g. Battery Cables USA has all the custom lengths you want. Really nice cables.

[scottyb]

Don't spend too much dough on cabling up right now. When you convert to solid state you have to remake about 50% of the cables because you will have different components in different locations and some of them requiring different size lugs.

[fsu1tm]

Originally Posted by scottyb

Don't spend too much dough on cabling up right now. When you convert to solid state you have to remake about 50% of the cables because you will have different components in different locations and some of them requiring different size lugs.

ScottyB has a very good point.

[97ccds-custom]

Just checked and I have a Trombetta 48v solenoid 684-4851-022-18.

Thank you for all the feedback. Batterycablesusa appears to be just what I need for cables at an affordable price until I can go for the C54 conversion kit!

[97ccds-custom]

So I removed my batteries and verified that the battery cables match the same size that’s going from the resistor coils to the V glide and the same size cables going from the F/R to my Plum Quick 36v mod motor. And the cables from the vglide to 48v solenoid and solenoid to F/R are also the same. They all appear to be 6 gauge (awg).

If I replace the seven cables for the batteries with 2 gauge, but leave the 6 gauge on all the rest has anyone done this? Will this maximize the load between batteries without creating a problem the might overload the other stuff?

I’ve included some pictures. I could not find a part number on the F/R but I think it might be a stock 36v club car. Can anyone confirm if they agree? Also the ring terminals are all 5/16” eyelets, except for the battery 1 positive end that connects to the F/R, it is slightly smaller, 1/4”










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[fsu1tm]

Think of cables like water hoses, which will only allow so much water through at a time. The smallest hose in the link is the bottleneck and will minimize the requirements on the other hoses. Your 2awg between batteries will not affect the other cables on the cart. just to be on the safe side, I would not change out the cables from the batteries to the cart until you can complete your other upgrades.

[Jake_Daddy]

I would throw a suggestion in there while you wait to upgrade to solid state. Judging from your pics it looks like there are some hills in your area which are not great for resistor carts with bigger tires. You can search the forums on here to find the Vglide bypass which is adding a solenoid and a few wires and it keeps you running most efficient at full throttle.